Brewer students try to connect with First Lady

Students at Washington Street School connect virtually with students from across the country to learn from each other, try to convince Michelle Obama to speak with them.

The students in Cherrie MacInnes’ third-grade class at Brewer’s Washington Street School last year managed to video-conference with fellow students in all 50 states, former First Lady Barbara Bush and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

This year, MacInnes’ students are trying to convince First Lady Michelle Obama to have a conversation with them using the online conferencing tool Skype.

The students in MacInnes’ and colleague Dee Bryant’s classes at Washington Street School have collaborated with students in Arizona, Hawaii, New Jersey and South Dakota to produce a YouTube video that gives Obama 12 reasons to Skype with them.

Through the virtual collaboration, Brewer students have learned about other regions of the United States from the students who live there, MacInnes said.